Verdict
An incredible reasonably priced gaming laptop computer, with a greater display screen and stronger specs than many of the competitors at this value level.
Execs
- Strong design and construct high quality
- Vivid 1080p 144Hz display screen
- Wonderful gaming efficiency
- Improbable worth
Cons
- Poor battery life
- Common audio
- Color replica could possibly be higher
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NVIDIA RTX 4060 GPUA step up from the RTX 4050 we’re seeing on rivals with sufficient energy for max element settings at 1080p on most video games. -
Intel Core i5 13500H CPUIntel’s mid-range thirteenth era cell CPU is a superb alternative for gaming, with sufficient efficiency for top frame-rate gaming on eSports titles. -
144Hz 1080p display screenThe display screen is likely to be restricted to full HD resolutions, however it’s brilliant with a 144Hz refresh fee to benefit from a robust mid-range gaming spec.
Introduction
Like many of the huge gaming laptop computer producers, Lenovo has realised that there’s a rising market of individuals searching for a simple step into PC gaming, however who don’t have the need – or the price range – for a £2000 behemoth on their desk. It’s revamping its efforts with the brand new Lenovo LOQ 15i.
Earlier efforts within the IdeaPad Gaming vary have been at all times a little bit lacklustre, reliant on present shopper laptop computer designs and underwhelming specs, however the Lenovo LOQ 15i could possibly be a giant step in the correct course, with extra gamer-focused styling on the skin and far quicker parts inside.
Certain, it nonetheless seems a little bit like a midway home between the IdeaPad and Legion traces, however the LOQ 15i sits a lot nearer to the latter, and our take a look at mannequin comes with a Core i5-13500H/NVIDIA RTX 4060 spec that’s a small step up from the entry-level RTX 4050 specs we normally see at this value level. It may not excel in each space, however Lenovo has made some wise selections and targeted the place it counts.
Design and Keyboard
- Elegant styling that may go as a enterprise laptop computer
- Tunable four-zone RGB lighting
- Respectable keyboard and trackpad make for a snug, although not premium, expertise
One frequent grievance about cheaper gaming laptops is that they have an inclination to look chunky and really feel a little bit low cost. That’s probably not the case with the LOQ 15i. It’s huge, with a desktop footprint of 359 x 264mm, however the wedge-shaped profile and a few intelligent smoothing on the edges and corners assist make it look slimmer and lighter than it’s. The metallic lid and gray plastics on the bottom really feel strong, regardless of a little bit flex behind the display screen, and the styling doesn’t scream gamer laptop computer at you. In reality, you could possibly get away with utilizing it as a enterprise gadget. Solely the customisable RGB lighting offers the sport away, although customisation is proscribed to 4 vertical zones reasonably than per key.
The vents take up a good chunk of every aspect of the laptop computer, however there’s nonetheless house for a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Kind-C port and a 3.5mm audio socket on the left-hand aspect, with a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Kind-A on the correct.
As with most gaming laptops, the important thing connectivity is on the rear, preserving any trailing cables out of the way in which. Right here you’ll discover the DC energy enter, one other two USB Kind-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet and an HDMI 2.0 video out. As for wi-fi connectivity, you’ve received 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
The keyboard is broadly much like what you’ll discover on Lenovo’s mid-range IdeaPad laptops, although Lenovo claims it has super-fast actuation and 100% anti-ghosting controls. Players would possibly need one thing with a clickier really feel and a barely quicker spring again, however it’s quiet, comfy and surprisingly good for typing, partly as a result of the deck beneath is so agency. There’s nothing too gaming-specific in regards to the format, however the cursor keys have been separated from the principle physique, making them simpler to seek out in a pinch.
As for the touchpad, it’s a superb measurement at 12 x 7.5cm, and whereas clearly not glass it’s clean with correct monitoring. That received’t cease you reaching for a mouse once you’re loading up Starfield or Baldur’s Gate III, however you received’t want to take action once you’re navigating Home windows or looking by a Steam sale.
Lenovo doesn’t make any claims about sustainable supplies within the LOQ’s building, and whereas the outer packaging is cardboard, dense black polystyrene foam inserts are used to guard the laptop computer throughout transit. On the plus aspect, the plastics used are labelled as recyclable, and themselves use 29% recycled content material.
Show and Sound
- 350 nits brightness ranges preserve issues wanting punchy
- Color efficiency makes for good however not stellar picture high quality
- Audio is beefy, however lacks finesse
Like the vast majority of extra reasonably priced gaming laptops, the LOQ 15i makes use of a reasonably fundamental 15.6in 1080p display screen, albeit one with a 144Hz max refresh fee. The excellent news is that it’s a little bit higher than the 1080p screens I’ve checked out just lately on the HP Victus 16 and the Acer Nitro 5. The place they have been caught with most brightness ranges of round 250 nits, the display screen on the LOQ can attain a a lot brighter 351 nits. Mixed with a black stage of 0.189nits, you’re taking a look at significantly better distinction ranges of 1963.5:1. At full brightness settings, you get richer, punchier pictures once you’re taking part in video games and watching motion pictures.
It’s not all excellent news. As with these screens, color replica is just satisfactory. SRGB protection stops at 61.6%, with DCI-P3 at 43.9%. This isn’t as huge a deal for players as it’s for artists and photographers, however it’s nonetheless barely disappointing. What’s extra, color accuracy isn’t fairly the place it must be, with a mean Delta-E of 4.87.
For leisure functions, this isn’t a catastrophe. Brightness and distinction rely for lots, and I discovered watching Netflix video and taking part in video games completely pleasurable on the LOQ’s display screen. Nevertheless, it’d maintain you again when you like your gaming laptop computer to double up as a inventive instrument.
On the subject of Audio, sadly, the LOQ 15i is not any higher and no worse than the competitors. The output from the audio system is boxy, with out a lot in the way in which of immersive stereo, and whereas there’s some increase and rumble within the low-end, the general tone is skinny and harsh. If you wish to benefit from your gaming time, you’re going to need to plug some headphones in.
Efficiency
- Sturdy efficiency for productiveness and artistic apps
- Good to nice gaming body charges at 1080p
- Swap thermal profiles to get the very best out of the GPU
The very best factor in regards to the LOQ 15i is its efficiency, with Lenovo pairing the Intel Core i5 13500H with 16GB RAM and an RTX 4060 GPU operating at a most of 115W. The Core i5 isn’t one in every of Intel’s powerhouse chips, with 4 P cores and eight E cores operating a complete of 16 threads, however you received’t have any points operating on a regular basis productiveness purposes and even most inventive apps. In PCMark 10, it falls between the HP Victus 16, with its Ryzen 5 7640HS CPU, and the Acer Nitro 5, with the last-gen Core i5-12500H, and it’s an identical story within the Cinebench rendering benchmark, although the LOQ pulls forward in Geekbench 6’s multi-threaded assessments.
On the subject of gaming, the RTX 4060 offers the LOQ 15 the sting over the competitors. It surpasses the RTX 4050-powered Acer and HP laptops within the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, then goes on to ship superior leads to Returnal, Rainbow Six: Extraction and Cyberpunk 2077, although there’s solely a single body in it within the Extraction take a look at.
You continue to received’t be taking part in Cyberpunk 2077 with Ray-Tracing turned as much as Extremely at 60fps, even with assist from DLSS 3.0, however you’ll be nice with it turned off or with NVIDIA’s fancy frame-generation tech added to the combination. Much less demanding titles can be nice at 1080p at maxed-out element settings, and I had a fairly good time taking part in Starfield on the Excessive preset, with a little bit assist from FSR 2.0.
What’s extra, there are indicators that the efficiency is constrained by the default Balanced thermal profile. Open up Lenovo Vantage, swap to Efficiency and switch the GPU overclock on, and you will get a large body fee increase – as much as 20fps in Rainbow Six: Extraction and a superb 10fps in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Extremely preset. Issues will get fairly noisy, to not point out sizzling by the exhaust vents, however these are nonetheless spectacular outcomes.
The SSD could possibly be quicker, with speeds on the decrease finish of what we’d anticipate from a gaming laptop computer, however this doesn’t seem to have any severe affect whereas taking part in video games, much more demanding titles similar to Starfield. The restricted 512GB capability is extra of a difficulty, although there’s a spare M2 slot to improve – offered you’re completely satisfied to unscrew and take away the entire underside plate first.
Software program
- Two out of 4 Lenovo apps are genuinely helpful
- Be at liberty to ditch Legion Enviornment and Lenovo Now
Lenovo isn’t the worst offender with regards to bloatware, however solely two of the 4 Lenovo utilities put in have any actual function. Lenovo Vantage is principally helpful for its Legion management panel, the place you possibly can modify the thermal profile and GPU overclock settings. It additionally integrates some efficiency and safety capabilities, however the very first thing these advise you to do is purchase a £60-a-year proactive upkeep contract. I’d save the money and let Home windows maintain itself as a substitute.
Lenovo hotkeys are additionally useful if you wish to modify the keys for switching the refresh fee or efficiency profiles, however you possibly can keep away from Legion Enviornment and Lenovo Now. The previous is one more gaming hub, giving entry to video games from throughout totally different on-line shops, whereas Lenovo Now could be little greater than a storefront for Lenovo companies and shops. McAfee anti-virus additionally comes pre-installed, however you possibly can simply take away it when you want your individual anti-malware software program or Home windows’ built-in instruments.
Battery life
- Three hours and 20 minutes is a borderline horrible outcome
- Don’t anticipate way more than two to 3 hours of video streaming
If the Lenovo makes a large compromise wherever, it’s on the battery life. The LOQ 15i managed simply three hours and 20 minutes within the PC Mark 10 Trendy Workplace benchmark – one of many worst outcomes I’ve witnessed – whereas an hour of streaming video at most brightness noticed the cost stage drop by a whacking 38%. This received’t be an issue if it spends most of its working life inside attain of the mains, however when you’re searching for a gaming laptop computer that may preserve you entertained on the go, look elsewhere.
Newest offers
Must you purchase it?
You’re getting nice efficiency, glorious worth and a good display screen.
The LOQ 15i isn’t excellent, however it delivers glorious gaming efficiency at 1080p resolutions, in a handsome laptop computer with strong ergonomics and a brilliant, vibrant display screen. Regardless of sturdy competitors, it’s among the best reasonably priced gaming laptops on the market now.
You prize superior picture high quality and battery life over uncooked gaming speeds
The display screen nonetheless falls brief with regards to color replica, and battery life is borderline terrible. You’ll wrestle to seek out something higher on both rely at this value, however spend extra and a greater display screen and improved stamina could possibly be yours.
Ultimate Ideas
The place Lenovo’s earlier gaming laptops have been low cost however underpowered, the LOQ 15 delivers a stronger all-round spec in a sexy, reasonably priced bundle. You may go cheaper by shopping for an RTX 4050 mannequin, however this model hits the candy spot between value and efficiency, providing you with ample energy for 1080p gaming with none severe compromises, however at a value level that’s nearer to affordable than ridiculous.
There are some good machines hovering round this value level, with each the HP Victus 16 and Acer Nitro 5 giving sturdy bang for the buck. However, for my cash, the LOQ 15 wins due to its higher, brighter display screen and its RTX 4060 spec. If you wish to sport with out paying foolish cash, it’s a wonderful purchase.
How we take a look at
Each laptop computer we overview goes by a collection of uniform checks designed to gauge key issues together with construct high quality, efficiency, display screen high quality and battery life.
These embrace formal artificial benchmarks and scripted assessments, plus a collection of actual world checks.
We used as our foremost laptop computer for at the very least every week.
Examined the efficiency by way of each benchmark assessments and real-world use.
We examined the display screen with a colorimeter and real-world use.
We examined the battery with a benchmark take a look at and real-world use.
FAQs
LOQ is Lenovo’s new price range to mid-range gaming model. LOQ replaces the IdeaPad Gaming sub-brand that went earlier than. The important thing distinction is the look of the laptops, bringing the design extra according to the higher-end Lenovo Legion gaming vary.
The LOQ 15i makes use of Lenovo’s “whisper-quiet thermal resolution”, that includes 4 warmth pipes, twin 85mm 12V high-speed followers, a 28.6% bigger air consumption and 24% bigger outlet vents.
Trusted Evaluations take a look at knowledge
PCMark 10
Cinebench R23 multi core
Cinebench R23 single core
Geekbench 6 single core
Geekbench 6 multi core
3DMark Time Spy
CrystalDiskMark Learn pace
CrystalDiskMark Write Velocity
Brightness (SDR)
Black stage
Distinction ratio
White Visible Color Temperature
sRGB
DCI-P3
PCMark Battery (workplace)
Battery discharge after 60 minutes of on-line Netflix playback
Cyberpunk 2077 (Full HD)
Cyberpunk 2077 (Full HD + RT)
Cyberpunk 2077 (Full HD + Supersampling)
Returnal (Full HD)
UK RRP
USA RRP
EU RRP
CA RRP
AUD RRP
CPU
Producer
Quiet Mark Accredited
Display screen Measurement
Storage Capability
Entrance Digital camera
Battery
Battery Hours
Measurement (Dimensions)
Weight
Working System
Launch Date
First Reviewed Date
Mannequin Quantity
Decision
Refresh Price
Ports
Audio (Energy output)
GPU
RAM
Connectivity
Colors
Show Expertise
Display screen Expertise
Contact Display screen
Convertible?
Jargon buster
SSD
Often called Strong State Drive, this can be a quicker type of a reminiscence than a normal laborious drive. Leads to quicker loading instances and extra formidable video games.
Ethernet
The usual for wired networking. Ethernet can run at totally different speeds with Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps) and 10/100Mbps the preferred.
USB-C
The fashionable USB connector you’ll discover on most Android telephones, new laptops, cameras and video games consoles. It’s reversible and used for charging together with data-transfer.
